Hello from our CEO - Autumn 2022
Many of us thought that the Covid wave over summer was the peak of what this new world had in store for us. Boy, were we wrong. War and humanitarian crisis overseas and record levels of flooding in Australia that we didn’t think were possible. Despite these distressing events, Sefa continues to thrive. Our Engagement team is growing to meet the demand for the no-cost advisory services we offer under the NSW Social Sector Transformation Fund (SSTF). We now have 15 passionate individuals helping us on our journey. You can read about the amazing value they bring to Sefa on our team page . In our latest impact story, you can read about one of our first SSTF clients, the First Steps Count hub in Taree. This collective impact initiative wants to give children on the Mid North Coast the best start in life and we helped them develop the hub’s theory of change, outcomes measurement framework and financial operating model.
Together with the Social Impact Investment Network SA we hosted an immersive Investing for Impact learning series for practitioners. I facilitated a session with our client 42 Adelaide, who shared their reflections on using impact capital as a tool. The Paul Ramsay Foundation also invited me to join a panel on International Women’s Day to discuss how female entrepreneurs and innovative fellow citizens are ‘Changing the climate of philanthropy for equity tomorrow’. These events offered a great opportunity to champion the work of our clients and the broader social investment sector.
Our sister organisation Sefa Partnerships also caught up with Kick Starter Alumnus Boxhead Plastics. The organisation participated in the business plan program supported by the Macquarie Foundation in 2020. It’s delightful to watch social enterprises turning mentoring and capability building workshops into impactful business practice.
On 5 April, Sefa joins forces with Philanthropy Australia for a webinar to showcase ‘Good Grantmaking’ by shining the light on a recent collaboration with Blacktown Youth Services Association (BYSA) and the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation (VFFF). We have put our own thoughts on this topic into three articles on effective social investment. In this newsletter we share the first piece from Renee Martin, Sefa’s Head of Engagement, who discusses how innovative organisations like BYSA, who have the potential to creating meaningful change in their communities, can be better positioned to deliver social outcomes and secure adequate funding. You will receive the two other articles over the next two weeks. We will bring these three thought pieces together during the webinar and examine key takeaways in conversation with our speaker partners from BYSA, VFFF and the NSW Government.
I hope the next couple of months will bring some calm and balance back into our currently dishevelled world. Stay safe!
Until next time, Hanna.